Individualizing Family Involvement in School Transitions: Gathering Information and Choosing the Next Program

Abstract

Two Transition Planners, containing rating scales and open-ended questions, were developed to assist parents in planning their child's transition to elementary school. Parents of children beginning their final preschool year rated the importance of items to identify family and child transition-related needs, levels of family involvement in transition planning, and areas of both family and school responsibility. Rated very important were the parents' opportunities to participate in planning and selecting the next program and their receiving descriptions of potential programs. Parents also agreed on the importance of several teacher characteristics. Open-ended questions revealed individual differences among parents, such as specific skills that parents wanted children to work on prior to transition and ways in which schools could make the transition easier for the family.

The Transition Process for Young Children With Disabilities

“…These distinctions result in variability in service delivery models, perspectives on family participation and engagement, and program quality. As transition points are encountered, many families may experience stress; however, the experience can be intensified for families of young children with disabilities (Fowler, Chandler, Johnson, & Stella, 1988;Karr-Jelinek, 1994). …”

“…Research in early care and education has documented the challenges experienced by children, families, and agencies as they both participate in and implement the transition process (Fowler et al, 1988;Karr-Jelinek, 1994;Love et al, 1992). Likewise, research has documented the potential long-term impact of transition on child functioning.…”

Family Concerns Surrounding Kindergarten Transition: A Comparison of Students in Special and General Education

“…Parents who are involved in transition planning report enhanced satisfaction with their child's kindergarten entry (Hamblin-Wilson and Thurman 1990;Johnson et al 1986). Furthermore, individualizing family involvement in transition planning may be essential for optimizing outcomes, including parental satisfaction (Fowler et al 1988). Elementary school staff and early education staff may not always partner to help facilitate a student's transition to kindergarten, thus a team-based approach that involves key stakeholders in early education, elementary education, and the student's family and community may help ensure that adequate planning and preparation is conducted (ConnPowers et al 1990).…”

Programming for Mainstream Kindergarten Success in Preschool: Teachers' Perceptions of Necessary Prerequisite Skills

“…In order to lessen the potential trauma of this ill-defined transition from preschool to mainstream kindergarten, Fowler and her colleagues (Fowler, Chandler, Johnson, & Stella, 1988;Hains, Fowler, & Chandler, 1988) have begun to identify a method whereby a family may actively participate in the transition process. An extended rationale and a set of practical procedures have been presented that parents may use to identify the kindergarten program most appropriate for their child.…”